


A Companion's Tail

by Idc_IShipIt, TARDIS_10



Series: Bonds Beyond Blood [2]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Adventuring, Awkward Penguins are awkward, Cuddles, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, I can't tag sorry, Inspired by Roleplay/Roleplay Adaptation, Miscommunicated Feelings, Smut, Tags will be updated, Werewolves, fluffy feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-05-29 08:44:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6367816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Idc_IShipIt/pseuds/Idc_IShipIt, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TARDIS_10/pseuds/TARDIS_10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arianna, a new member of the Companions, comes across a clueless Imperial woman named Raine and takes her under her wing. With both girls falling for the werewolf twins, shanagins are abound.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I know I've already got one story going but I started this one with a friend an I'm having fun with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right. Finally got around to redoing this chapter, and I must say, I'm quite pleased with the results. As always, please leave a like and a comment below if you have any input. Thanks!~

Arianna sighed softly as she trudged through the forest. Foe three months now she had been running errands for the Companions, and she was getting sick of never being respected. True, she hadn’t been with them more than six months, but she had plenty of combat experience under her belt, to not mention she helped defeat the dragon Mirmulnir at the Western Watchtower. As a Nord, her pride took heavy blows every time she was called whelp, for that was the name all new recruits shared when joining the ranks of the Companions. Arianna wasn’t as tall as most Nords; though she wasn’t considered short either, standing not even a full head shorter than Vilkas. Her hair was shoulder –length, and a deep red colour, her eyes a steely gray, and her figure firm from the years as a warrior, though she still carried her womanly curves.

While she walked, she thought she heard the rumbling of a troll nearby, and made mental note to keep from straying in its direction. It was far enough that it posed no threat to her, and she had no interest in hunting it, that is, until she heard the screaming. Unsheathing the bow she had borrowed from Aela, Arianna ran towards the noise, almost certain the beast had cornered some poor soul.

It really was a stupid move. Raine hadn’t watched where she rode, her mind dazed off into her thoughts over the recent circumstances of the war and of home. Not that she particularly missed home, not all that much, eager to escape the endless obligations. And so, she trusted her horse to watch for her, leading to where she was now, back up against a wall of a ruin, horse gone with all of her possessions, with a troll in front of her, ready to have her as an appetizer. Naturally, she did the first thing that came to mind, and that was to scream.

She pressed herself as far back as she could, her dark curls sticking against her forehead and cheek with blood from her fall, and scratches down her arms, which were raised protectively over herself. The young Imperial had shrunk down to the ground, her hazel eyes fixed on the being in front of her as a small whimper escaped her lips.

Arianna raised her bow and fired, her arrow sinking into the troll’s shoulder, and she grinned proudly as it turned towards her and bellowed in rage and agony, and barreled towards her, falling dead mere inches from her feet as her second arrow lodged itself in the best’s throat, killing it instantly. Even Aela wasn’t brave enough to take on a troll by herself, that or she simply never cared to attempt it. Either way, Arianna had a story to tell when she returned home to Jorvaskr that night.

Pleased with herself and her victory, she shouldered the bow and walked over to the poor girl that had angered the troll, and felt a rush of sympathy for the young Imperial girl crouched in fear. “Are you alright? Nothing is seriously injured?”

 Slowly looking up at whoever killed the troll, Raine blinked, honestly not sure whether or not anything was seriously injured, and ran a hand through her hair, only to pull it back and find it covered in blood. Her arms now stung from the cuts as the fear and adrenalin had begun to ebb away. “Judging by my appearance, I’d say that I am injured, but as I cant feel anything other than my arms, I’m going to assume the rest of me is fine.” She sighed and tried to stand, only to plop back down again. “Thank you for the rescue, by the way.”

Refusing to believe herself helpless, Raine tried once more to stand, but was just as unable as before, and fell back, falling into Arianna’s open arms instead, rather than hitting the ground. Nodding in acknowledgement to her gratitude, Arianna carefully wrapped an arm around Raine’s shoulders and began helping her down the hill towards Whiterun.

 “I’m Arianna of the Companions, and I’m taking you back to Jorvaskr for food and proper care. Might I know your name, oh foolish one who angers trolls?” She said jokingly.

 Raine, who readily accepted the help, rolled her eyes at the comment. “Thank you, Arianna. I’m Raine, daughter of a captain in the Imperial Legion, since we’re stating rank.”

 Depending on Arianna to walk, she tried her best to move on her own without as much help, though she was having difficulty after having been thrown by her horse and bruising the muscles in her legs. “Angering a troll is quite an easy feat when you have a stubborn horse, and you forget to stop thinking long enough to watch where you’re going.”

 Chuckling softly, Arianna helped Raine across the fields of Whiterun. Despite the chilling autumn air, the hills were covered in lush, green grass, the sky was a brilliant blue, and butterflies fluttered from one flower to another. It was peaceful and quiet, filling Arianna with a sense of home as she approached the gates, a guard greeting her as a Companion as she and Raine passed through. She had been living in Whiterun since Helgen, and as she carried Raine, wondered whatever happened to her friends Vivienne and Artemis, and if they too had found a place to call home.

 Adrianne hammered away at her forge, children ran through the streets squealing in delight, and various vendors called out the goods they had for sale, hoping to peak someone’s interest in their wares. As she brought Raine up the stairs leading to the overturned ship’s hull known as Jorvaskr, a sudden thought occurred to Arianna, and she paused momentarily. “Are you familiar with the Companions?”

 When she stopped to think, she honestly had no clue, and she hadn’t thought to ask. Her head still hurt, and she began wondering if she was still losing blood, and if so, had much had she lost? Shaking her head slightly to answer, she felt a shot of pain run down her neck and grimaced, deciding to speak quietly instead.

“I don’t have a clue. I’ve only been in Skyrim for a few days…” It was a ship they were approaching, so maybe the Companions were builders? Perhaps it was a makeshift building. As she watched other Companions coming to and from the building, either notion wouldn’t have surprised her in the least.

 As Arianna carried her in and carefully set her in a chair, a few heads turned her way, and she found herself under the gaze of the members of the circle, and wasn’t sure if she should feel pride that they were watching, and nervousness. Tilma, bless the woman’s soul, immediately brought forth a bowl of warm water, a rag, bandages, and a few healing potions to doctor Raine up with, and the two women went to work, Tilma taking care of the gash on Raine’s head while Arianna took her of her arms and bandaged them carefully, laughing softly at the face Raine made when she drank the potions.

 “I know they don’t taste good, but I’m sure you’ll agree that they really take the edge off.”

 Raine nodded, already feeling much better than she had moments ago, and opened her mouth to comment on it when two brutish looking men, obviously brothers, approached them, and she closed her mouth, shrinking back a little, only to be reprimanded by Tilma who was still bandaging her head.

 “How did you manage to get her this injured, Ari?” Vilkas asked teasingly, using a nickname Farkas had begun using to save him the trouble of pronouncing her full name.

 Arianna made a face. “It’s not my fault. I was out hunting and a troll attacked her. I merely saved her from becoming a meal.”

 Raine flushed slightly in embarrassment, but nodded in agreement. “Yes…the troll would’ve killed me if not for Arianna.”

 While Vilkas began looking at Arianna with a newfound respect, Farkas, who his brother told him repeatedly that he was smitten with her, began to fill with worry for her own safety, and silently wondered if she had been reckless while fighting. “You’re not injured, are you?”

 Shaking her head, Arianna grinned. “Not a scratch. Took the troll down with two arrows.”

 “And you said a bow couldn’t trump an axe.” The new voice that had joined belonged to Aela, who had come to retrieve her borrowed weapon.

 As Arianna began arguing that while useful, her axe was far more helpful, Vilkas smiled kindly at Raine, and offered his hand to her so she could stand again, leading her to a small table in the corner of the hall, taking Torvar’s plate of food when he turned his back to grab a bottle of ale to go with it, and set it down in front of her.

 “You looked hungry.” He said in response to her questioning gaze.

 Raine nodded and gratefully ate the food she had been given, smiling slightly as she watched Farkas separate the two arguing women before they began fighting again. The place seemed lively, far livelier than her home in Cyrodiil, and found herself liking the band of…whatever they were even more. “I don’t suppose you can explain to me who the Companions are? Arianna was going to, but we were a bit interrupted.”

 Nodding, Vilkas sat back and idly ate at a bread roll. “Aye. That I can. Ysgramor himself, the man who led the Atmorans to Skyrim thousands of years ago, founded the Companions. Many mistake us for a band of common cutthroats, or mercenaries, but the Companions do have honour. We stay out of political affairs, we don’t kill people unless they’re killing people and endangering lives, and if we know a family or person in need can’t afford to hire us, we take care of the problem for free.

 We act as a family, for we are one. We may bicker, or pick on each other, but when it boils down to life and death situations, we know we can trust each other to watch our backs and protect us when the time comes. That is what it means to be a Companion.”

Raine nodded slowly, the idea sinking in and making her chest swell slightly; a family, a real one that she could depend on no matter what. Even if she didn’t know how to fight, Raine was determined to learn so that she could stay there and be apart of this strange, loud, and slightly drunken family. Smiling tiredly, she finished her food and bid Vilkas goodnight, walking over to Arianna and poked her lightly until she finally took notice of her.

 “I’m tired and I don’t know where the beds are.”

 Arianna laughed and bid the others goodnight as well, leading Raine down to where the whelp’s rooms were and helped her settle in for the night. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. Hope y'all enjoy this!

Raine grunted softly as she fell back and bumped her elbow roughly against the ground, her sword clattering beside her, Arianna the victor of yet another sparing match. Though they both knew that Raine needed more practice with her blade, they also understood that they were sparring for another reason entirely; Arianna needed to blow off some steam, and by sparring with Raine, she was simply killing two birds with one stone. The source of her aggravation was Farkas, as he had been acting rather cold towards Raine since she joined the Companions two weeks ago, and Arianna had finally had enough and made it evident the previous night. She hadn’t yelled, but she didn’t coddle him like a child. She was angry, and made sure he knew it. Arianna wasn’t the kind of person to lose her head over little things, but she never sugarcoated something. She was brash, but she got straight and clear to the point, never bothering to beat around the bush just because it might bother someone how blunt she was.

While the women continued to spar, Vilkas sat at his usual table in the mead hall and sighed softly when he realized Farkas was indeed sulking after last night, and had no intentions of coming up for breakfast. Setting his book aside, he fixed a plate for his stubborn twin, and marched downstairs, a bit annoyed that he was sulking, but didn’t bother reprimanding him for it, as he knew he must be truly hurt to sulk like this. Knocking lightly at his door, he entered at the soft grunt of recognition, seeing nothing more than a large lump of blankets that was surely Farkas, and set the plate on his nightstand, pulling over one of the chairs from his bar, and sat on it, staring at the lump a moment before jerking the blankets away.

“Come on, lazy bones. Don’t tell me you’re going to sulk all day just because Ari got angry with you?”

Farkas looked up at Vilkas, wanting his blankets back, but didn’t ask. He didn’t really feel up to people right now, his brother being the only exception as always. Sitting up, he grabbed a piece of sausage from the plate and nibbled at it a moment while he gathered his thoughts and words, wanting to make sure he got everything out. “I can’t seem to do anything right…the second I try to move, I screw up. I’ve been trying to get Ari to laugh, or at least smile for weeks, and then Raine does it by accident, and she’s only been here two weeks. She smiles and laughs every now and then with the others, but never when I try. What if it’s just me, Vilkas? What if she hates me…?”

As always, Vilkas sat and listened to his brother, waiting for him to get all his words out before offering his advice. “Perhaps you are trying too hard to make Ari like you. I can’t help but notice that you’re always with her, always trying to make her laugh, and There’s a possibility that she finds your constant companionship bothering. Perhaps if you apologize, maybe explain your intentions, she’ll be more understanding.” He paused a moment and smirked, “Who knows? You may even confess your love to her.”

Blushing softly, Farkas took the plate of food and ate it, looking for any excuse to prolong speaking with Arianna from fear of rejection. He knew he couldn’t stall forever, and once his plate had been emptied and he had drained a mug of ale to settle his nerves, he stood and put on his armour for the day, combed his hair so Aela and Skjor wouldn’t have reason to make fun of him, and headed upstairs for the mead hall to look for Arianna when Aela stopped him and pulled him aside. At first he feared she was going to tease him, most likely for sulking most of the morning away, but the series expression on her face told him otherwise.

“You and Vilkas are to be the Shield-Brothers for Arianna and Raine. Vilkas has already said that he wishes to go with Raine, so you’ll be with Arianna when she goes to Dustman’s Cairn to retrieve a fragment of Wuuthrad. Think you can handle it?”

“Yeah, of course.” Farkas responded, though he honestly didn’t sound very confident. Aela raised a brow at the obviously doubtful tone, but said nothing, partly because she didn’t feel like listening to one of Farkas’ childish rants, and partly because Vilkas had already threatened to have her hide if she upset Farkas anymore than he already was.

Once Aela had walked away, having informed him that Arianna was out sparing, Farkas gave Tilma his plate and mug, thanked her for breakfast, and walked outside where he saw Skjor talking to the girls, and heard as he informed them who their Shield-Siblings were going to be, and also, much to his dismay, also heard Arianna’s groan when she learned he was to accompany her. Frowning, his semi-good mood completely ruined, Farkas went back inside and returned to his room, avoiding Vilkas so he wouldn’t know that he didn’t apologize, and began packing for the trip, tucking in a few bottles of ale so he could have a drink if he truly needed it.

“Come on. It can’t be _that_ bad having Farkas as your Shield-Brother.” Raine said sympathetically as she patted Arianna’s shoulder.

“It’s not that he’s my Shield-Brother, it’s that he’s still sulking after last night. I actually enjoy Farkas’ company when he’s in a good mood and not clinging to me.” Raine shook her head in disbelief at her friend, was she truly so blind as to not see it? Everyone else could see Farkas’ affections, so why couldn’t she? 

Sighing, Arianna sheathed the training blade and put it away with Raine’s, dreading the trip to the Cairn with Farkas, but smart enough to not express herself anymore than she already had. Instead, she opted to discuss combat techniques with her friend while they went back downstairs and packed their bags, both packing healing potions along with other needed items that were sure to come in handy during the trials, and then parted ways as they went to find their Shield-Brothers.

It didn’t come as much of a surprise when she found Farkas in his room, pouting and nursing a mug of ale, his go-to solution whenever something bothered him. His bag was already back, though, so she assumed he had already been informed of the arrangements, and knocked softly on the doorframe, it not feeling right to simply walk in unannounced.

“I suppose Skjor already told you about my trial?” She asked quietly, arms crossed loosely as she leaned against the frame.

“Actually it was Aela, but yes, I’ve been informed. I assume you have your things?” When she nodded, Farkas stood and grabbed his own pack and walked over to her, not quite meeting her eyes. “You could always go with Vilkas, if you’d rather his company. I’m sure he would be willing to change up if you’re truly uncomfortable with me.”

Arianna frowned. Where was this coming from? She knew she hadn’t exactly been the friendliest person towards him lately, but it was mostly because of the way he had been treating Raine, and she had told him as much when she scolded him, but she didn’t think that would lead to him thinking she didn’t enjoy his company.

“I heard you groan when Skjor told you I was to be your Shield-Brother.” He informed, having noticed the perplexed expression.

_Ah…that’s where it came from._ Arianna felt a wave of guilt now that she knew what had upset him. Perhaps he did have more than enough reason to think she didn’t want to travel with him. “I’m sorry about that, Farkas. I’d enjoy traveling with you, I really would, but things were kind of awkward between us since last night, so I was mostly upset over the awkward tension I thought would be present during our trip. It wasn’t because of you.”

It took a moment, but Farkas finally understood the meaning behind he words and hugged her tightly, relief evident in his eyes as he smiled and stood, picking her up off the floor a foot or two. Arianna, who had grown used to his bear hugs, smiled and laughed at him, ruffling his hair playfully.

“Alright you big lug. Put me down so I can breathe again.”

Farkas complied immediately and flushed from embarrassment, mumbling an apology as he grabbed his bag and followed Arianna out. While he seemed his happy, quiet, normal self on the outside, inside he was positively giddy, unable to stop smiling because he had finally made her laugh.

“I’ve asked around, and the guards say it shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours to walk to Dustman’s Cairn, so depending on how extensive the barrow is, we should we home by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.” Arianna informed as she and Farkas walked down the road towards the Cairn.

The day was a rather sunny one, not a cloud in the sky, and flowers dotted the countryside around them, the occasional flutter of a butterfly catching her eye when she turned to look at a passing herd of deer, or thought she heard a noise and became alert. They didn’t encounter much of anything during their walk, save the lurking saber cat that tried to take Arianna’s face off, and as they reached the Cairn, sky a wonderful rosy pink, Arianna smiled to herself, silently celebrating the chance to finally prove herself worthy enough to be called a Companion instead of whelp all the time. As she pushed open the doors to the Cairn, her nose was bombarded with the scent of dirt and decay, a familiar scent as nearly all tombs smelled that way. Grinning widely, she entered first, taking in the cracked pots, fraying linen wraps, and open coffins with dead draugr lying in front of them.

 “Looks like someone’s been digging here recently.” Farkas remarked as he motioned to the pickax the laid on the table in front of them that was clearly brand new.

Nodding, Arianna listened cautiously for any movement from the chamber ahead of them, and when her ears could detect nothing, silently moved forward, pausing every few moments to listen for enemies once again. As they entered the first chamber, they found a total of three draugr, which Arianna quickly eliminated with her steal battle-ax. She had suffered only the frigid cold of a restless draugr’s frostbite spell, and it took mere moments to brush the frost off her breastplate, though it left her shivering slightly as the delved deeper into the cairn. Surprisingly, they hadn’t come across any more draugr, and the only thing that really bothered Arianna was the unrest of not having anything to kill. She didn’t really enjoy killing people, but to be put in a tomb that was know to be crawling with draugr, and then to have practically nothing to fight was more than her nerves could handle, and she began to drum her fingers against her leg as she grew only more agitated. 

“Would you stop fidgeting? You’re making me anxious.” Farkas’ voice wasn’t angry, almost amused, in fact, and Arianna flushed from embarrassment as she mumbled an apology and walked into yet another empty chamber.

This chamber was a little different from the others, though, looking almost like the kind of place where one might hold a court of some kind, if the throne was anything to go by. There were two gates in the room as well; the open one leading to a small alcove with a few potions and a lever inside, and the closed one lead further into the tomb. It didn’t take a genius to know that the lever would open the gate, and after she had stuffed the potions into her bag, Arianna pulled it with a triumphant smile that quickly vanished when her gate shut as the other opened, leaving her trapped. Much to her chagrin, Farkas found her predicament quite amusing as he walked over to her, smirking and poking at her through the bars.

“Now look what you’ve gotten yourself into. Don’t worry, I’ll get you at.” At that exact moment, several people rushed into the room, weapons drawn, and began making snide remarks on how they were going to kill Farkas and what a great story it would make.

 All at once Arianna wished she had thought to bring a bow, she could have at least shot some of the bandits through the bars, but here she was stuck behind a gate, helpless, with nothing but a battle-ax as a means of defense. Even if Farkas managed to take down a few of the bandits, there was no way he would survive fighting so many people at once, and as the crushing guilt of what she had down weighed on Arianna, it soon evaporated to be replaced by a mixture of awe and fear as Farkas doubled over and dropped his sword, his skin changing to fur, his limbs shifting with a sickening crunch as they grew and elongated, and in mere moments, Farkas was gone, and a werewolf stood where he once had.


	3. Chapter 3

Raine groaned as she dismounted her horse. She and Vilkas had finally arrived at Falkreath, though it was nightfall by now, and her backside ached. “Please tell me we get to stay at the inn tonight.”

Vilkas laughed as he dismounted his own horse and took the reins of both horses and began leading them into town where he could leave them somewhere safe. “Aye. There’s no reason we have to retrieve the Fragment tonight.”

Raine nodded in agreement and followed Vilkas to The Dead Man’s Drink: Falkreath’s inn. Having tied the horses up outside, the two of them entered the inn, both glad to be somewhere a fire was lit and keeping the atmosphere warm, and while Vilkas rented rooms and ordered them a meal, Raine picked a table that was closest to the fire and sat down, shivering lightly as she began warming up again. A bard was playing a lively tune while patrons drank deeply from large mugs of ale and mead, all having a plate of roasted ham or pheasant on their plates, each patron engaged in some sort of friendly socialization of some sort.

Raine barely had time to wonder what was keeping Vilkas when he suddenly appeared in her view holding plates of pheasant, grilled leeks, and bread rolls in one hand, and two mugs of drink in his other. As he sat down and passed Raine her plate and mug, she recognized the scent of Cyrodiilic Brandy, a drink she hadn’t had since leaving Cyrodiil. Beaming, she took the mug and sipped it, savoring the sweet flavor of her homeland.

“Where did you manage to get this?” She asked brightly as she set the mug aside to avoid drinking it down in an instant.

Vilkas smiled and chuckled warmly at her excitement. “I asked for it of course. I figured you would prefer something from home, not Skyrim’s hearty mead.”

“Well you were absolutely correct. This is wonderful!”

The two of them smiling happily at each other, they both turned to their dinner and began eating. The pheasant had been cooked rather well; the meat seasoned to perfection, and the brandy complimented it wonderfully, as did the vegetables and the bread rolls, which were soft, flaky, and buttery. Every mouthful seemed to melt in Raine’s mouth, and paring the meal with the fine brandy and warm fire behind her, she felt happy, and drowsy, and one her plate was clean, she rested back in her chair and closed her eyes, completely relaxed.

“Full?” Vilkas’s voice carried the same peacefulness she felt, though it also carried some amusement, and she opened an eye to glare at him a moment before closing it again.

“Where are we going to retrieve this fragment? Skjor never said.” She asked, purposefully ignoring his question.

“We’re going to Lost Knife Hideout. It’s a bandit camp, so we’ll need to be careful. I don’t want to haul you back to Jorvaskr in a box.” Vilkas replied with a smirk, making Raine flush from embarrassment.

 Ever since she had come to join the Companions, they had never let it drop that Arianna had to save her from a troll. Whether she was going out on a job or to hunt, or was simply going out to look for flowers for alchemy, they would always echo the same caution to “watch out for trolls” or “don’t forget to bring Arianna”. They were always playful jests meant to do nothing more than tease her, a bit of hazing for the newcomer, but it still annoyed her to know end to be treated like a child. She could handle herself well enough when she wasn’t distracted. She had become rather fond of him as a result.

 “Raine, I meant no offense. Only a jest.” Hearing the apology, Raine sighed softly and nodded, regretful that her annoyance had shown. The others may have teased her, but Vilkas was the kindest, apart from Arianna, and she had spent many late nights reading with him or discussing an intellectual topic of interest.

 “It’s alright, Vilkas. I know you meant no harm.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “If it’s alright, I would like to know where my room is. I’m rather tired, and I could use the sleep.”

 “Ah…about that.” Vilkas seemed to have turned a shade darker and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “There was only _one_ vacant room. I’m afraid we’ll have to share…”

 Raine blushed with him and sat silently, her mind going through every possible scenario imaginable until she finally came to a solution. “We’ll just have to sleep in turns, then. It’s no different than camping somewhere. You can sleep first-“

 “No need.” He interrupted, a warm smile replacing the awkward grimace he had mere moments ago. “You go ahead and sleep first, Raine. You’re supposed to be doing most of the fighting; therefore you should get the most sleep. Besides, it would take you ages to wake me up.” 

 Nodding, Raine thanked him and went to the room he pointed to while he cleared away their plates. The room was nice enough; there was a bed covered in various furs in the left hand corner, and there was a chair adjacent from it, a lit brazier in the far corner kept the room nice and toasty. Having been accustomed to changing into bedclothes when preparing to sleep, Raine found it hard to adjust to sleeping in her armour, and ended up removing the cuirass and boots, leaving them to rest beside her weapons on the floor. The bed was comfortable; the mattress soft as was the pillow, and the room was rather quiet despite the noise outside her room. Settling in, she wrapped her arms around the pillow and curled up, full body hugging it, and when Vilkas came to sit in the room and watch over her not ten minutes later, he found her fast asleep, a small smile gracing her lips.

 When she awoke the next morning, Raine felt refreshed and energized, a feeling she didn’t get very often when living in the “whelp” quarters with the others waiting to be named a true Companion. Stretching the sleep from her limbs, Raine turned and saw a plate of eggs, sausage, and toast. Beaming, she took the plate and began eating, and had nearly finished eating when it suddenly clicked: _Vilkas._

 “Why didn’t you wake me??” Raine had finally found Vilkas at the blacksmith’s having her sword sharpened.

 Vilkas chuckled deeply at her annoyance and handed her the blade. “You looked so peaceful that I loathed to wake you! Besides, I know it’s hard to sleep with the other whelps.”

 “But-But…what about you…? You need sleep too!”

 Raine suddenly shrieked loudly as Vilkas wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a massive hug, laughing deeply at her concern and the adorable squeal she made. “Stop worrying, lass! I slept fine in the chair.”

 It took a few minutes of persuasion, but Vilkas managed to redirect Raine’s mind from his sleeping conditions to the task before her; retrieving the Fragment of Wuuthrad. It took them roughly half an hour to reach Lost Knife Hideout, a cave in the side of a mountain. Since it was Raine’s trial, Vilkas allowed her to enter the cave first, and lost his breath with her as they came around the tunnel. The cave, which they had expected to be small and shallow, was home to great, hollow caverns that were hundreds of feet deep and had water at the bottom, most likely being fed by the waterfall outside. Large stalagmites jutted out of the water, dwarfing all with their size. Rickety, wooden structures had been built to form bridges and platforms so that one could get to the next chamber with ease. How they were built, neither of them could guess, but the ingenuity of the bandits was impressive to say the least.

 Once the initial shock had worn off, Raine spied two bandits patrolling the platform ahead of her, and without hesitating, she raised her bow and fired, her first arrow sinking deep into the throat of an iron clad Orismer, his body tumbling over the edge of the platform and splashing noisily into the water below. The noise attracted the other bandit, a Nord, and after a few moments she spied Raine and Vilkas. Letting out an earsplitting war cry, she charged them, great-sword drawn and at the ready. Raine drew her sword and raised it just in time to deflect a blow that surely would have split her in two, the force causing her arms to jolt and pain flare up in her shoulders. Gritting her teeth, Raine pushed back and kicked her leg out, making the Nord woman stumble long enough for Raine to sink her sword into the woman’s throat.

 For a moment, she felt proud at how swiftly she had killed the bandits, but it was short lived. The war cry and the noise of metal clashing against metal had drawn the attention of other nearby bandits, at least half a dozen now charging Raine with drawn weapons. She had Vilkas with her, true enough, but she was a weak fighter in close quarters, and Vilkas couldn’t take them all on his own. There was no way they would make it out alive, not unless a miracle happened. Panicking, she turned to Vilkas for help, and instead of being met by his warm, brown eyes, she found large, blazing yellow ones staring back at her. A scream must have left her throat, for someone surely screamed, and in an instant, she found herself being thrown back, her head hitting a rock. The last thing she saw was the werewolf standing over her body protectively as it tore apart the bandits.


	4. Chapter 4

“I didn’t scare you, did I?”  Farkas’ voice was laced with honest concern as he rested his hand on Arianna’s shoulder, gripping it slightly.

The battle had been over within minutes, Farkas’ wolf having ripped through and torn apart the bandits like they were nothing, and then he scampered off to the open gate and disappeared, Arianna’s rising only a minute later, and then he returned, a human once again. Blood had sprayed across the room during the slaughter, and had even managed to fly through the bars of Arianna’s gate and splatter the warm, sticky substance across her left cheek and arm, though it didn’t really bother her. She was a hardened warrior after all. What really bothered her was that Farkas was a werewolf. Sweet, kindhearted, almost naïve Farkas was a bloodthirsty killing machine, one that could take someone’s life without caring, and then act as if it hadn’t happened, as if blood wasn’t pooling around his feet.

“I, uh, I think I’m fine.” Arianna tried moving but found her feet were not willing, and simply flopped heavily into Farkas, hissing softly when she bumped her head on the steel armour, but relaxed considerably when his arms wrapped gently around her shoulders, and Farkas sat, pulling her into his lap for a moment.

“I did, didn’t I…?” He sounded scared of her answer, and his voice wavered, on the verge of tears. He had scared her, and badly, but she had yet to pull away from him, so perhaps she didn’t think him a monster like he feared. “I only did it to protect you. I’d never hurt you, Ari.”

Arianna nodded and sighed softly, her words finally returning to her. “I know you wouldn’t, Farkas. I just wasn’t expecting you, of all people, to be a werewolf.”

“So…you’re not afraid of me?”

“Of course not, you big lug. Now put me down so I can have a chance to bash someone’s head in.” Her tone was a jesting one, and with a smile, Farkas stood and set Arianna down again, staying close to her side long enough to make sure she wasn’t going to fall again, and then backed off, picking up his greatsword as he had dropped it during the transformation. Arianna stretched her limbs and grabbed a piece of linen cloth that had been lying on a shelf, and wiped the blood from her cheek and arm, not a fan of letting it stay there for more than it needed to. Once Farkas had retrieved and cleaned his sword, Arianna led them further into the cairn.

Two Silver Hand, Farkas called them, waited at the end of the hall they had turned down, which Arianna easily killed with a few swings of her ax, excited to finally have something to do again. It was quiet for another half hour before they happened upon another chamber with two more Silver Hand, one clad in iron armour and wielding a greatsword, the other in studded armour had a longbow, which he aimed directly at Arianna when they had stepped into the room and fired, her armored shoulder deflecting the projectile. Sighing, Arianna moved around Farkas, who had taken on the Silver Hand with the greatsword, and continuously dodged arrows from the second one until she was close enough to sink her ax into his side, killing him instantly. Her ax pulled free with a sickening squelch, and she grimaced, wiping the blood away quickly so it didn’t drip off the blade and onto the handle.

“Any idea how many more there are in here?” She asked, sitting back to rest a moment.

“I can’t really tell. There’s too much decay in here to be certain, but I don’t think there’s more than a dozen left, not counting the dragur. I can never tell which ones are going to reanimate.” Farkas groaned softly as he sat back beside her, needing to rest as well. Even if they hadn’t done much fighting since they entered the tomb, they both wore heavy armour and wielded two-handed weapons, and with such little time in between skirmishes, their arms and backs were beginning to grow sore.

“A dozen Silver Hand. Brilliant. Just what I wanted today.” Arianna sighed heavily as she massaged her hands, or at least tried. They were sore from holding her ax for so long, but it was counterproductive to rub the soreness out of one hand, only to make it sore again when rubbing the other.

Farkas, who was used to the strain of holding a great sword during lengthy battles, found amusement in her struggles and took her hands gently, and began to rub them for her, careful that he didn’t end up crushing her fingers instead. He knew his hands were calloused, and most likely didn’t feel all that nice against her skin, but for the moment, he let it go to silently marvel at how soft her hands were, despite the fact she had been a warrior nearly her entire life. Hearing her laugh, he realized his amazement must have shown, and he blushed softly, letting her hands go now that he had finished.

“My hands are soft because I use a special cream to keep them that way. They’re calloused, but not as badly as other’s.”  Arianna informed with a smile, a light blush coloring her cheeks as well.

She wasn’t sure how long it was, but an eternity to seemed to pass between them as they stared at each other, neither speaking nor daring to look away first. However, it was Arianna who broke away first at the sound of her battle-ax clattering loudly against the stone floor. All at once she was reminded that they were on an important job, and that this wasn’t the time for a staring contest. Sighing softly, she retrieved her ax from the ground and stood, stretching out her tired limbs and preparing herself for the trial to come.

By the time they had reached the final chamber, Arianna was glad they had stopped to rest when they did. Farkas had, unfortunately, been correct; there were indeed a dozen Silver Hand to deal with, at least half as many dragur, and a nest of Frostbite Spiders that Farkas seemed all too happy to escape. The last hour had been a blur of clashing swords, blood splattering, and the sound of crunching bones and flesh being torn apart as she and Farkas annihilated their enemy. They had received little to no cuts, though Arianna was certain the mage had singed her (She constantly smelled something burned), but Farkas remained adamant that her hair looked completely fine, even went as far as nuzzling in to smell and informed her that she smelled like the lavender oils she used.

Convinced her hair was fine, and a little flustered, Arianna pushed open the doors to the final chamber. She instantly regretted it. Dozens of stone coffins were lined against the walls, each containing a dragur, though she could not be sure which ones, if any, would reanimate. At the end of the room there lay a great stone table, the Fragment of Wuuthrad upon its surface, but what drew her attention was the Shout Wall behind it. Arianna had only ever seen one once; the one in Bleakfalls Barrow she had found with her friends Artemis and Vivienne. Vivienne had been able to read what the other two women couldn’t, and they later found out it was due to the fact that she was Dragonborn, but even then Arianna could see how the Shout glowed an ethereal blue, and even felt a fain tugging sensation in her gut when she had been near it. This wall was different; there were no glowing words, no eerie tugging at her senses, just silence.

This was somehow more unsettling than the previous wall had been, and rather then waste time thinking it over, Arianna walked forward and plucked the shard from the table, carefully tucking it into her pack. At that exact moment, she had a deafening bang as the coffins burst open all around them. 

“This day just keeps getting better and better.” Arianna remarked sarcastically as she drew her battle-ax and entered the fray.

Farkas was already fighting off two dragur on his own, and Arianna opted to take on the two attempting to attack him from behind. Her ax cut through them with ease, and in a few minutes, the four dragur had been killed and hacked to pieces for good measure. They had but a moment’s respite before several more coffins burst open, releasing dragur and restless dragur alike, all hell bent on keeping Arianna and Farkas from leaving the Cairn alive. Sighing, Arianna let loose a fierce war cry and charged, using the momentary confusion to attack the dragur with every ounce of strength she could muster. Unfortunately, every ounce wasn’t enough, and a Dragur Deathlord she hadn’t realized was present came up from behind her and swiped a jagged sword at her legs, leaving a large, deep gash in her left thigh.

Screaming from the pain, Arianna dropped to her knees, exhaustion finally beginning to wear her down, but she wouldn’t give up yet. Using the drop to her advantage, she swung her ax in a large arc, hacking away the legs of the surrounding dragur. Farkas, who had nearly panicked when hearing her scream, was at her side within seconds, fury coming off him in waves as he finished off the remaining dragur, leaving behind nothing but limbs that had been strewn across the room.

“Where did you get cut?” Farkas asked as he carefully lifted Arianna and laid her on the stone table.

Arianna whimpered in pain when moved, but managed to hold back tears as she set her ax aside and pulled away what was left of the cuisse. “M-My thigh. The buckles were damaged earlier, and I guess I didn’t realize it had come loose.”

 Nodding, Farkas went to work and began to carefully remove the lower half of her steel armour and pulled her leather breeches down enough that he could tend her leg, all the while keeping his eyes averted respectfully. Arianna wished she could say that she took it like the proud Nord woman that she was, but the alcohol used to clean the gash burned, and after only moments, she was crying and screaming in pain as Farkas cleaned and stitched the wound together. Once it was all done, he wrapped her leg in clean linen and carefully pulled her breaches back up, his arms wrapping around her comfortingly, for he had ended up crying as well.

 He held her for several minutes, waiting for her sobs to die out, before helping her back into the missing armour. Since one was broken beyond all repair, they chose to leave the cuisses off and stored them in her pack alongside the Fragment. Claiming it was harmful to walk on an injured leg, Farkas insisted on carrying her out, Arianna allowing it on the condition that he set her down before they reached Whiterun.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading the story! As usual, please leave a comment if you find any errors or to leave positive feedback.


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